The Sinking Ship
by SweetbunPura
Summary: What was going on with Ryuji? What if Ryuji had Palace AU? References to Past Child Abuse
1. Chapter 1

Red and black blurred by in a mess as the veiny motif covering the walls pulses in time with the sound of wheels hitting the railways. Akira peering out the window of Morgana's bus form as Makoto drove them to one of their requests destinations. To his left, he could hear Skull tapping away at his pipe in a way to stave off the boredom. Next to him, Fox, Oracle, and Noir seemed to be deep in a conversation which Akira payed no mind to. Panther and Queen chatted casually, about what, the leader couldn't tell.

"Hey." He lowered his voice as he directed his attention to Ryuji. "Are you doing anything later?"

Shadowed brown eyes shifted over to him. "I ain't got any plans."

Akira playfully nudged him. "Movie night?"

The blond smirked and nudged him back. "Hell yeah."

"Gross, stop being all coupley." Oracle said from the back seat.

Akira watched as the smile faded from Skull's face as he rubbed the back of his neck. The leader reached over and gave the blond hair a ruffle. Skull gave a short laugh and batted his hand down and the Mona Bus jerked to a stop outside a red and black swirling vortex. The teens jumped out as the black and white vehicle and Mona returned to his regular form.

"Who's on the front lines, Joker?" The cat asked, knocking his bladed weapon against his shoulder.

Akira surveyed the team, taking in their pros and cons along with their abilities. He ultimately decided on Skull, Panther, and Noir; allowing the others to be back up in case they needed help. They leapt through the vortex and prepared to fight the enemy before them. Akira was giving orders while simultaneously dodging whatever the shadow was throwing at them.

"Oracle." Akira said sternly while summoning one of his many personas to give the team a boost. "I need a scan."

"On it! Hmm… It looks like electricity and ice are its weaknesses."

"Skull!"

"Hell yeah! Eat Ziodyne! Let's go Captain!" The blond ripped off his mask and for a split second, Akira saw what looked like to be an image of Ryuji that replaced the skeleton captain.

Nothing came out, leaving the teen stunned and… the leader saw a flash of fear in those brown eyes.

"Skull move!" Akira heard Oracle as he felt and head the sound are a garudyne charging.

The leader acted fast, tackling his teammate and rolling them both out of the path of the deadly wind spell. Ryuji grunted as his mask flew off, skittering across the ground, while Joker turned to the shadow with anger in his eyes. He commanded Skull to stay where he was, brought Fox in as backup and swapped masks, aiming a bufudyne right at the monstrous creature. Akira was thankful that the tall artist followed up with his own ice spell. The shadow sunk to the floor in a daze where the team killed it off with an All Out Attack. Akira snatched the treasure before turning to where Ryuji sat, still frazzled and maskless on the ground.

"Skull… Ryuji, are you-"

Morgana interrupted the fuzzy haired teen. "What was that, Skull?" The cat crossed his arms. "You should've said something if you couldn't summon your persona. You could've gotten Joker killed."

Ryuji flinched at the tone and Akira had never wanted Morgana to shut up more in his life.

"I know it's hard to summon, but even someone as simple minded as you can do it."

"Mona." Akira hissed after catching another flinch from the blond. "That's enough."

The cat took one look at his leader before shrugging, dropping his paws at his sides. Panther moves over to his side and inspects him for injuries, which Skull waves off with a mutter as he got up.

"But you could've gotten hurt."

"I'm fine."

"But-"

The faux blond's voice came out hostile. "I said was fine, didn't I? Damn…"

Panther frowned. "Geez, I just wanted to check up on you. Be an asshole for all I care."

Skull shoves his hands into his pockets and made his way towards the whirling portal, mask and pipe forgotten on the ground. It was clear that Ryuji was going to wave off whatever the team said to him. The team watched as he left before they turned their attention towards Akira.

"Let's head back for now, he's probably just tired."

The drive back to the entrance of Mementos was silent, apart from the sounds of the Mona Bus. Akira glanced out of the corner of his eye at Ryuji, who sat with his arms crossed, glaring harshly out the window at the multitude of vines. The leader wanted desperately to say something, but he feared he would get the same treatment as Panther had. Once they departed from mementos, Ryuji left Leblanc without a word, shoulders hunched and hands jammed into his pockets. The team watched as he left, a cold feeling settled over them until the others said their goodbyes and left the café. Akira pulled out his phone and looked at his text messages, finger tapping on the one between himself and Ryuji.

 ** _Me:_** _Ryuji? Do you want to talk?_

 ** _Ryuji:_** _Leave me alone man._

A pang of hurt stuck Akira's heart and he did as his friend requested, locking his phone and throwing it on the bed. He changed into his pajamas before collapsing on his bed in a huff; he closed his eyes not long after his head hit the pillow.

The sound of his phone going off drove Akira out of a dreamless sleep as he slowly blinked into the darkness of the attic. He waited a few seconds, figuring that it was a text message until ringtone went off again.

"Who's calling at this hour?" Morgana whined as the teen rolled over to grab his phone.

Akira's eyes squinted at the brightness as he stared at the caller ID. "It's… Ryuji…" He sat up and answered the call with a yawn. "Ryuji?"

 _"Akira."_

The sound of the blond's voice snapped Akira awake. "What's wrong?"

"I-" The sounds of fabric being moved was heard and the distant sound of a sniff. "Shit…"

"It's okay. I'm here, just talk."

"Eff… I had a nightmare… My mom and him…"

 _Ryuji's father._

"What happened?"

"The same ol' thing." Another sniff. "Expect this one was more intense. I can hear everythin' he was doing and not just my mom's screams…"

"Ryuji…"

Another sound of shifting fabric. "Akira… after he was done, he came after me…"

"Oh…"

"He had a broken beer bottle in his hand and a scowl on his face. The effin apartment melted, leaving only me and him. I tried to run away, but I couldn't." Akira could hear the blond's breathing increase at a rapid rate. "My leg… my shitty lame leg was broken again and blood was coming from it and-" Ryuji was starting to hyperventilate.

"Ryuji. Ryuji! I'm right here! Deep breaths and listen to my voice, okay?" Akira wished he could be there to help the blond. He heated hearing all of this and not being able to help. "Deep breaths and listen to my voice. You know, Morgana snores and he's heavy."

He heard a snort over the phone followed by a deep inhale. Good, it was working now all Akira had to do was keep talking until Ryuji's breathe evened out. So, he started speaking randomly, talking about the other members of the Thieves or about the different types of coffee had made. By the time he finished reciting a recipe for a sweet tasting mocha; Ryuji's breathing had evened out.

"Are you good?"

"Y-Yeah, thanks man… sorry about all this."

"No, no, don't apologize."

He heard Ryuji huff. "Dude, I woke you up at like three in the mornin' to talk about my shitty nightmare."

"I don't mind talking to you. I like your voice; it's kind of calming to listen to."

"The hell? Are you flirtin' with me?"

"Would that be bad?"

"Nah-" Ryuji stopped suddenly and Akira pulled his phone away to make sure the call didn't disconnect.

"Ryuji?"

"Shut up…"

"Huh?"

"I said shut up!"

Akira yanked his phone away from his ear at the sudden yell. "Ryuji?"

"…."

"Ryuji?" Akira's voice rose in concern as the call disconnected.

Morgana opened one blue eye to stare at the shocked teen. "What happened?"

"I-I… I don't know." He looked at his phone and a heavy feeling of dread came over him.

 _What was going on with Ryuji?_


	2. Chapter 2

The feeling didn't recede as Akira woke up the next day, feeling more drained then before. He sluggishly got dressed and decided the stairs to get the curry Sojiro had left him. Boss had asked why he looked so tired and the teen muttered out that he had a bad rest before leaving Leblanc. The conversation he had last night with Ryuji still weighed heavily in his mind as he boarded the train. He wiggled his phone free of his pocket and shot a good morning text in the group chat. Messages immediately poured in after his and a faint smile appeared on his face. He wasn't expecting Futaba to respond, knowing the hacker was not a morning person, but it was a surprise to not see Ryuji respond. The train jerked to a stop and he squeezed his way out and made fast tracks towards the Ginza Line.

"Hey Akira!" Ann's chipper voice greeted him at the platform.

"Hello, Ann." He looked around, expecting to see Ryuji. "Have you seen Ryuji?"

Ann huffed and crossed her arms; she apparently still hadn't forgiven the faux blond for his attitude. "I don't know and I don't care."

"Ann-"

"He was rude to Lady Ann!" Morgana poked his head out of the bag. "He's a brute, not knowing how to treat a beautiful woman like Lady Ann."

"Thanks Morgana."

Akira shook his head with a deep frown on his face as the train appeared and slowed to a stop. They board the subway and the ebony haired teen glanced behind him, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of blond through the crowd. The door closed and Akira couldn't help the feeling of dread in his stomach. The ebony haired leader tuned the rest of the ride out, mind too preoccupied with worry. The walk to shujin seemed to take longer; Akira was dragging his feet, prompting both Morgana and Ann to ask him what was wrong. He was about to answer them until Ann let out a gasp as they stood in the entrance of the school. Akira followed her line of sight and felt his heart froze as he stared at Ryuji.

The blond looked absolutely haggard, jacket looking rumbled and dirty and his shirt was inside out. His hair looked a bigger mess than Akira's and he seemed to be swaying anytime he moved away from the wall. Bags were under Ryuji's eyes and the once warm brown gaze felt dull and unfocused as they landed on Akira. He moved away from the support of the wall and stumbled a bit, Akira rushed up the stairs to make sure he didn't fall.

"M good." He muttered as he grasps Akira's arms. "Sorry for hangin' up on you like that last night…"

"I-It's okay, but are you sure you're okay?" Slate colored eyes rapidly looked his best friend over.

He nodded. "Mmm-hmm." Ryuji rubbed his eye and spared a glance at Ann, who crossed her arms and walked pass him without a word. "Shit… is she still mad?"

"Well-"

"No duh, moron!" Morgana poked his head out of the bag and glared at the drained blond. "You yelled at her for just wanting to help. No wonder you can't get a date with how you treat woman."

Akira felt the flinch through his grip on Ryuji's arms; the blond huffed and pulled his arms back, turning to walk into the building.

"Whatever. See you at lunch, man."

The leader watched as he left before snapping his attention to the feline. "Morgana, that was uncalled for."

"You worry too much about him, Joker; he was probably up all night playing video games." The cat flicked his tail.

Akira glared at him before jostling the bag, sending Morgana tumbling back into its debts and climbed the stairs. The ebony haired teen hardly paid attention to the lecture, choosing instead to stare at the clock. Morgana stayed quiet under the desk, sensing that Akira wasn't in the mood to speak. Eventually the bell rang signaling lunch, starling the teen out of his thoughts. The leader swiftly grabbed his bag and fled the classroom, ignoring the cries of his name from both Morgana and Ann. He makes it to Ryuji's classroom just in time to see the blond stagger out of the room.

He holds his head and leans on the door frame; any nearby students stopped to stare at him, clearly more curious than concerned. Akira felt time slow down as Ryuji's grip on the frame loosed and he fell forward. The leader acted quickly, rushing forward to grab him before he hit the ground.

"Ryuji?!" Akira stared down at the unconscious blond in his arms and felt anxiety start to seep into his stomach. "Ryuji?"

"What happened to Sakamoto?"

"Who knows and who cares."

"At least he's quiet for once."

Akira bit his tongue to keep from snapping at the gossiping students. He gently stood up and made his way to the nurse's office, ignoring the whispering voices and prying eyes. He chatted with the nurse before setting the faux blond down on one of the beds and sitting beside it. Akira stayed by his side until the nurse finished examining him, claiming that he was either exhausted or fainted due to hunger. The ebony haired leader frowned heavily as the adult walked away, he knew something was wrong. He ran his fingers through the bright colored haired and fully took in Ryuji's appearance. The bags under his eyes appeared to be darker since this morning and it appeared that he had lost weight.

 _'And not the healthy amount.'_ Akira frowned and placed his head in his hands. _'What is going on with you…?'_

The sounds of his phone going off pulled the teen away from his thoughts and he dug through his pocket to retrieve the device.

 ** _Makoto:_** _Akira, what happened? I hear talk that Ryuji fainted._

 ** _Ann:_** _Wait? So that was for real? I thought that was a rumor._

 _It was true. I caught him before he hit the ground. I'm in the nurse's office with him right now._

 ** _Haru:_** _Oh my. Should we stop by to check on him?_

 _No, I'm going to stay with him until he wakes up._

 ** _Yusuke:_** _I wish I could be of some assistance._

 ** _Futaba:_** _Maybe he was up for too long?_

Akira gave a small sigh; maybe Morgana's influence was rubbing off on Futaba. He was about to text a response when he felt the bed shift. Glancing over at the blond, he watched as a grimace appeared on his face and he withered around. Akira settled a hand on Ryuji's and that seemed to calm the blond down as he relaxed back into a relaxed state. The frizzy haired teen sighed and went back to staring at his phone.

 _Something's wrong with Ryuji. After school, we're holding a meeting._

 ** _Ann:_** _A meeting? Is it necessary?_

 _This isn't normal for him, Ann. I know you're still mad at him, but now is not the time for petty fights. Ryuji needs help._


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the school day slowly inched by as Akira refused to leave Ryuji's side, even after he had woken up in a daze. The still exhausted teen leaned on him for support as the leader helped walk him back home. After making sure Ryuji had fallen asleep, he left the apartment and closed the door with the spare key the blond had given him. He made fast tracks back to Yongen-Jaya and quickly climbed the stairs after greeting Sojiro. Futaba typed away on her laptop, glasses reflecting off the glowing screen and hiding her eyes. Makoto and Haru seemed to be in a deep conversation for the looks on their faces. Morgana purred contently in Ann's lap as she scratched under his chin.

Yusuke mindlessly nibbled on the snacks from a convenience store. They sat around the table, conversations dying down as heads turning towards Akira while he set his bag down and stood at the head of the table.

"Something's wrong with Ryuji and, as his friends, we need to find out what it is."

Morgana leapt out of Ann's arms and landed flawlessly on the table. "How do you know he's not just tired? He stays up all night playing video games, after all."

"Morgana." Akira hissed, causing the feline to straighten up in surprise. "You saw him. That is not normal; even if he does stay up all night."

Morgana's ears flattened against his head. "What with the concern all of a sudden, Joker? He's just-"

"He looked like he was on his last leg!" The teen raised his voice and took several deep breaths to control his voice. "Sorry, but you weren't there when he collapsed. He felt… lighter…"

Mona's eyes shifted to the side before he shuffled his way back into Ann's lap.

Makoto spoke up with a hint of motherly concern. "He felt lighter?"

"Like he hasn't been eating." Akira sighed and sat down, running his figures through his curly hair.

"He's been starving himself?" Ann sounded concerned as she ran her fingers through Morgana's fur.

"Oh, that doesn't sound like Ryuji-kun at all." Haru softly said.

"I know I cannot eat because I lack the funds, but surely Ryuji has money to feed himself."

Futaba said nothing as she continued to click-clack away at her laptop. Akira gave her an irritated and opened her mouth to tell her to pay attention until she let out a joyous shout.

"Got it!" Her yell started the rest of the Thieves.

"Got what?" Akira and Makoto voiced simultaneously as Futaba turned her laptop to face them.

"I hacked into Skull's phone so we can find out what's wrong with him." She smiled triumphantly. "Praise me peasents!"

Akira turned the laptop towards him and rapidly skimmed through the mass amount of storage the phone had. Slate eyes landed on the phone call he and Ryuji had the other night and a thought oocured to him.

"Futaba… can you hack into his camera and tell me what happened after my call with him?"

The short teen turned the laptop back towards her, and with a quick flurry, brought up the camera. She turned the PC back around and joined Akira by his side.

 _"Ryuji?"_

 _"Shut up…"_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I said shut up!"_

Akira flinched slightly as the tail end of the call played; the other thieves stared at the screen with baited breath. They watched as the phone flew across the room and slammed into the wall before it sunk down to the floor. On the moniter, Ryuji grasps his hair and shakes his head rapidly back and forth before bringing his knees up to his chest. He hides his face in them and slams his hands over his ears, body shaking as he repeated the phrase.

 _"Shut up… Get out of my head… Shut up…"_ There was a sound of an exhausted sob. _"Shut up… please…"_

Something flickered across the display for a split second before disappearing. Ryuji flopped on his bed with his back turned towards the camera, body still shaking and begging to an unknown foe to stop talking. Futaba reached over and paused the video; the attic was silent, apart from the sounds coming downstairs.

"Oh my…" Makoto muttered with eyes still on the laptop.

Ann had her hands over her mouth and tears glistened on the edge of her eyes. Yusuke was stunned, staring at the paused image with wide, disbelieving eyes. Haru looked to be a mirror image of Ann, except she was looking away from the monitor and crying. Morgana was silent, surprisingly for once not saying anything. Futaba clung to Akira's arm, quietly playing with the school issued jacket. Akira felt sick to his stomach; he couldn't do anything to help out Ryuji in that situation. He gripped the end of the table, wishing he had been there for him and hating himself for not trying harder.

"W-Wait…" Ann spoke up, voice cracking slightly as she tried to hold in her tears. "W-What was that thing that flashed on the screen?"

"Huh?"

Futaba rewound the video, mauve colored eyes staring intensely at the moving image until she slammed the pause button on the almost transparent figure. A gasp sounded through the Thieves as they stared at the display. There on the PC was the faint image of someone standing in front of Ryuji. Their clothes were torn and ragged looking; they appeared to be drenched in water and there was a chain connected to their leg.

"Who or what is that?" Yusuke murmured.

Akira couldn't help but agree. He was so preoccupied by what was on the laptop; he missed when Futaba stiffened up beside him.

"H-he can't have a… I thought Mona said that persona users can't have a palace." Futaba's ramblings caught the attention of the group.

"What?" Akira placed his hands on her shoulders. "Futaba, what was that about a palace?"

"Ryuji." She pointed to the screen. "That could be his shadow."

"Impossible." Morgana meowed. "A persona user can't have a shadow."

Yusuke looked over at the feline. "Surely you have a reason for what's on the computer."

Mona's ears fell as his eyes shifted away. "W-well…"

"W-We should check to make sure!" Ann pulled out her phone and tapped on the metanav. "Ryuji Sakamoto."

 _"Candidate found."_

The air grew colder as dread seeped into the attic. All eyes were on Ann's phone, wide and shocked.

"N-No way…" The pigtailed blonde muttered out. "T-This is a joke, right? Ryuji doesn't have a palace, right?"

No one answered her and that feeling grew harsher as realization sank in.

 _Ryuji had a palace._


	4. Chapter 4

Akira ran his fingers through his hair; it was all starting to make sense and the teen hated that he hadn't figured it out earlier. The blond's attitude, how he sounded on the phone, and how he looked at school. How could Akira be so blind? How could he be blind to his best friend's turmoil?

"Ryuji-kun…" Haru trailed off.

"I suppose as the Phantom Thieves it is our job to get rid of any… distorted desires…" Yusuke said, looking displeased with himself for saying that.

Ann's voice was small; Akira almost had to strain his ears to listen. "But it's Ryuji… We'd have to change Ryuji's heart…"

"You guys changed my heart." Futaba closed her laptop. "Changing Ryuji's wouldn't be any different."

"He's been with us since the beginning, it's different." Akira said as he took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "But… why did it take this long for us to find out…?"

The room grew quiet at that, even Morgana didn't say anything.

"We can help him now." Ann spoke up with a sense of determination in her voice. "Let's steal his heart!"

The opened Metanav sat in the middle of the table, waiting for the thieves to say something. They threw everything they had at the app in terms of keywords, only to come up empty. It went on for a few hours, each guess was thrown to the side and Akira could tell that the team was losing steam. The teen remained silent, slate colored eyes burning holes into the table.

"Akira?"

"Hmm?" Their leader raised his head. "Yes?"

Ann sighed and placed her chin in her hands. "Any guesses?"

Akira frowned and stared hard at the app. Something Ryuji would see himself as…

"Outcast?"

 _"Match confirmed."_

A pit formed in Akira's stomach at the app's voice.

Makoto seemed stunned. "O-Outcast?"

"Surely we haven't treated Ryuji-kun like an outcast." Haru spoke.

Both Morgana and Ann flinched and shifted their blue gaze off to the side. Akira would worry about them later and maybe have a talk about the treatment of the faux blond.

"O-Outcast can mean anything." Futaba stuttered, playing mindlessly with her hair. "Could means how he feels at school or at home, it doesn't mean just us."

"Not at his home." Akira countered. "His mother treats him like the sun… So, it has to be at school and because of us…"

"But…" The hacker trailed off and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I don't want to be the cause of his distortion..."

"Neither do I…"

Futaba said nothing, mauve colored eyes locked onto the floor. The teen placed a hand on her back in a soothing motion. If it was true and the Thieves were the cause of Ryuji's Palace, then… could they really get him back or would they make it worse? The thought ran around Akira's mind as he looked around at the other teens. Ann and Morgana had a guilty look in their eyes and they looked like they were recapping everything they had ever said Ryuji. Makoto sat, tapping the end of her pencil against the side of her head. An opened notebook with crossed out words sat in front of her.

Yusuke and Haru remained silent, although the fluffy haired teen side had a determined look in her eyes.

Haru tried. "Perhaps a track?"

 _"Match not found."_

"A colosseum?" Yusuke suggested.

 _"Match not found."_

 _"Ship."_ Arsene's voice echoed in Akira's head. _"William was a pirate after all, Wild Card, he is Chariot's other self."_

"Ship?"

 _"Match confirmed."_

"A ship?" Morgana meowed, ears perking up as everyone gathered their things. "Like Shido's Palace?"

Akira picked up his bag and allowed the feline to hop into it. "We'll know once we get there."

They stood outside of the apartment complex, all eyes staring up at the building as they took in where Ryuji and his mother called home. The building wasn't in a mess like condition like the other complexes had passed on their way here, but it wasn't new. The building was fairly old and stood out with its stark white paint job against the cloudy sky.

"Are we too close?" Ann asked as Akira pulled out his phone. "What if we bring him in with us?"

"We won't, we're a good distance away from where the room is." The bespectacled leader said while opening the app. "Let's go steal Ryuji's heart."

The others nodded in agreement as the world shifted around with in a red and black mess. Once it cleared, a stormy dark gray sky stretched far above them and the Thieves were already in Metaverse attire.

"Ryuji already sees us a threat?" Panther muttered.

Akira opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as the sound of loud creaking and something being torn apart. The ground soon disappeared, sending the team into the dark mass of jagged rocks and seawater below them. Arsene and Necronomicon quickly emerged grabbing the Theives before they were met with their deaths. The pair of them floated above the sea, Arsene held Akira in his arms while Necronomicon had the others on top of it.

 _"The Adventure Galley…"_ Arsene said in disbelief as Akira turned to look at Ryuji's Palace with wide eyes.

The Adventure Galley sat, sagged over an outcropping of jagged rocks and ready to tip over into the swirling ocean. The once flag ship had a large hole torn in its side and was quickly filling up with water. For each engulf of the sea, the beloved ship sank further under the waves and lost parts of it floated about. A massive, broken down building sat on top of the deck, partially submerged under raging salt water. Joker watched as pieces of the building broke off and landed on the ship, causing it to sag deeper into the dark ocean.

"Oh my…" Akira heard Noir's voice above the sound of distant thunder.

"T-The palace is collapsing in on itself." Mona said, ears falling as he scanned the sinking ship. "A-Are we too late?"

 _"William… Wild Card, surely you can bring him back…"_ Arsene murmured to his other self.

"I'll get him back, Arsene, him and Ryuji." Joker replied. "For now, let us off next to the building.

The feathered persona flew down with the UFO trailing behind him. Akira leapt from his persona's arms and landed on the deck, which creaked under his weight but didn't give. The others jumped down from Necronomicon and together the personas disappeared. Joker made his way over to the structure and gave the door an experimental tug. The door moved and rattled slightly, but ultimately didn't give under the force. Akira waved over Yusuke and the pair threw their weight against entryway until it gave, causing the pair to tumble into the partially submerged room.

"Fox! Joker!"

"We're okay." Akira coughed and waved the dust out of his face as he helped the artist to his feet.

Fox shook his head and readjusted his mask. "That was quite a fall…"

"Yeah…" Gray eyes looked around the abandoned lobby as the others walked in, each of them stopping to look around of the room.

Bits and pieces of furniture bobbed endlessly in the water, banging up against the windows or walls. Plaster and parts of the ceiling fell into the water as dangling lights flicked ominously above. Oracle clung onto Queen's arm as they made their way over to where Joker and Fox where. She muttered about not being able to swim, which caused the student president to pull the shorter teen closer to her.

"So you guys had enough of throwin' punches at me in the real world so you decided to come here? That's really shitty of you."

The teens jumped and turned around to where a being with yellow glowing eyes stared at them. The figured huffed and moved out of the darkness, the sound of a chain being dragged followed them.

"R-Ryuji…"

There, before the Thieves, stood the Shadow version of the blond. He had on a torn and ragged deep blue and black captain's coat. The coat looked like it has been fired out of a cannon and set on fire several times from how battered and scorched it looked. The dark colored pants looked as if they had seen better days, giant rips decorated the material and Joker could see faint bruising from where the skin was visible. An anchor chain was strapped to his right leg as he continued towards the teens. His clothes were soaked from head to toe, leaving drops of water behind him.

"Ryuji." Joker said as the shadow stood infront of him. "What-"

"Oh? Now you care? That's effin' great." The teen crossed his arms. "You didn't care before, so why the sudden interest?"

"We came to help you, you idiot." Panther spoke up.

"Idiot… Is that all I am to you, Ann? Just some effin' idiot you can push around?" Shadow Ryuji scoffed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Whatever. If you guys wanna try and steal my heart, I ain't gonna stop you." He turned to leave and disappeared into thin air. "There's trouble ahead. Welcome aboard _Adventure Galley."_


	5. Chapter 5

Joker shook his head and felt determination wash over his body. They weren't going to try and steal Ryuji's heart, they were going to succeed.

"Let's go." He said to the others and made his way over to the nearby stairwell.

The rest of the team followed behind him with Oracle still clinging to Queen and Mona climbing his way up onto Fox's shoulder. Joker pushed the rusted door open and nearly fell into chest deep water.

"W-We don't have to swim, do we?" Orcale eyed the water.

Their leader jumped the wide and landed on one of the broken stair steps. The step creaked under the weight, but didn't give under the added stress. Joker grabbed the railing and held out his arm to Oracle and Mona.

"Jump."

"What!?" The short pair looked from him to the water and back to him. "Joker, you can't be serious!?"

"I am." The building shook as a piece of the upper floor gave out, crashing into the water with a loud splash and drenching Akira. "We don't have time for this you two. Every second we stall is another second the palace comes closer to collapsing. Now let's go!"

Mona leapt from Yusuke's shoulder and onto Futaba's head. His big blue eyes honed in on Joker's arm before he launched himself across the gap. He landed on the teen's arm and dug his claws into the fabric to keep from slipping. Akira winced and said nothing as the feline jumped down onto the stair step. Oracle seemed a bit more hesitant, she kept backing up and pausing before decided to jump the space. Joker landed partially in the water as he reached out to catch her; Oracle breathed out her thanks and made her way to where Mona sat. The teen helped the others across, each of them saying their thanks as they continued upwards.

"Look at how rundown everything looks…" Panther muttered to herself as they climbed. "This couldn't have happened overnight, right?"

Morgana walked along the railing. "Who knows how long it takes for a palace to form or even how long it's been around…"

Joker side stepped an opening in the floor. "Ryuji kept this hidden for a while by the looks of it." He pushed aside a broken door that led into the second floor. "I'm-" The teen paused in his sentence as the sound of whispers echoed through the room.

"What are these sounds?" Fox asked as he tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling.

Noir stood next to him. "A-Are they the voices of the masses?"

 _"Ugh, there's Sakamoto again."_

 _"Why doesn't he just drop out? Not like he has any place here."_

 _"Shujin doesn't need a delinquent like him."_

 _"I wonder how his mother puts up with her failure of a son."_

 _"I heard he's just like his father. Beating his mother whenever she does something he doesn't like."_

The thieves stared in disbelief as the whispers continued. Oracle placed her hands over her ears and sank to the ground.

"I-Is this what Ryuji hears?" Questioned Queen as she lifted up her mask, red eyes flicking about as voices repeated what was said. "This is what the students at Shujin think of him?"

 _"Oh Skull, you're so pathetic."_

Mona flinched as his voice was heard next, it boomed out loud and clear above the whispers for all of the Thieves to hear.

 _"Pathetic… That's all I've ever been to the dumb cat. I guess he was right after all, I can't do shit. I'm pathetic as all hell and I'm worthless. It'd probably be better if I disappeared. Wouldn't need poor ol' bum leg Sakamoto dragging down the team anymore."_

Hearing Ryuji say that caused a stab of pain and hurt to strike Akira's heart as all eyes turned to the garu user.

"I-I…" Mona trailed off, ears falling as he tried to come up with an excuse to defend himself. "I'm…"

"Did you really tell him that he was pathetic, Mona-chan?" Noir inquired.

"I-"

Panther tried defending the cat. "Mona meant it in a teasing way."

"Panther." Akira's voice brought the team's attention to their leader. "Nothing about that was teasing. Mona called him useless, moron, and other words. None of that… was spoken in a friendly manner to Ryuji… and…" He trailed off. "And I never corrected him on any of that…"

The rest of the floor was explored in silence, no friendly banter or chat among any of them. Mona lagged behind the others, head downcast and barely speaking. They eventually reached the door leading up to the next floor.

"Is something like this going to happen every time we go into a new floor?" Orcale asked, causing Joker's hand to pause on the handle. "D-Does Ryuji remember everything bad we ever said to him?"

"I-" Akira trailed off. "But we're doing this to help him. So if we have to see and listen to what was said and what he suffered through, then so be it." With that, he shoved the door open and jumped the gap between the open entry way and the floor.

Joker peered down through the holes and saw the lobby of the palace slowly began to flood, water pushing furniture into the far walls and breaking some of the windows. The teen frowned and away just as more of the floor gave away under him.

"The water's rising, we need to go."

The whispers raised in volume as Akira helped Mona and Orcale across any flooded areas. He reached his hand out for Panther just as a new set of voices began.

 _"Poor Sakamoto-chan. First, her husband beats and leaves her and now, her son punches a teacher."_

 _"Like father, like son."_

 _"Must run in the family."_

 _"If I was her, I would've sent him away and moved before he came back."_

 _"Surely, he doesn't hit her as well."_

Akira shook his head and grasps the blonde's wrist, pulling her onto the floating piece of furniture along with him. Panther faltered as her voice was heard next.

 _"Even if Ryuji asked for help on every subject, he'd still fail. He was never that smart to begin with."_

Panther looked fearful. "I-"

 _"She ain't wrong. Running track was the only thing I was good at. The only thing I could use to get into college without the use of my shitty grades. But that all fell to shit that day, now I can barely get through high school. They don't need someone as dumb as me to be a Phantom Thief."_

The agi user jumped the space and fumbled to her knees. "I-I never meant to say that…"

Akira landed on the spot next to her and resisted the urge to comfort Ann. That was something else he could've stopped but ultimately decided not to. How many other times had he not come to Ryuji's aid?

"Panther." Queen bent down to help the teen, who shook her away.

"I'm a terrible person. First, Shiho and now Ryuji…" Ann sobbed out.

Makoto said nothing and helped the crying girl to her feet. The team continued on and Akira could tell that their moral was slipping. It was the same thing with each floor; the voices grew louder until a new set of dialogue was heard followed by something the Thieves themselves had said and then Ryuji himself added onto it.

 _"You have no tact or class what so ever."_

 _"I ain't graceful like Akira is and I ain't all prim and proper like Ann. Hell, I ain't even like Morgana with his knowledge of the Metaverse. I'm just me… clueless, useless, tactless me."_

Fox fell silent for the rest of the floor and Akira glanced back to make sure Yusuke was still following them. The way the artist held himself was reminding the teen of a kicked puppy.

 _"Skull, please try and focus. I know it's hard for you to, but please."_

 _"Why can't she see that I'm trying my hardest? I'm giving it all that I got, but all of this shit… it's too much for me. Sorry that I ain't smart enough to follow along."_

Queen faltered in her jump across the water and nearly plunged head long into it if Joker hadn't had grabbed her. She muttered her thanks and soon fell behind with the others. Red eyes directed on the ground instead of straight ahead.

 _"Skull couldn't get a date even if his life depended on it. He's undatable."_

 _"That stung more than anything Morgana or Ann had ever said. Damn, what does expect me to have? Charm like Akira? To be flawles like Akira? Maybe one day I'll have the guts like him to tell him how I truly feel..."_

Orcale sunk to the floor, tore off her mask, and slammed her hands over her ears. She shook her head and kept repeating how much she wanted to go back and how sorry she was. Akira was torn between comforting her and staring at the ceiling. Ryuji wanted to tell him how he truly felt?

 _"I'm sorry, Ryuji-kun, but something like this requires a more… gentle approach."_

 _"So I'm too much of a brute to even help out in the garden? Do I belong anywhere in this group? Maybe Akira would know…"_

Noir said nothing and brought her hat down over her eyes, becoming silent like the rest of them had. The whispers at this point had grown so loud that Akira feared that he would become deaf from all the noise. Panther begged him to turn back around as she covered her ears. Joker shook his head and opened the door to the next room, expecting to hear booming voices, only to be met with eerie silence and pitch black darkness.

"What in the world?" Fox spoke. "How are we supposed to navigate this?"

"This is different from the maze in sis' palace." Queen said, coming to stand next to Joker.

Oracle clung onto Yusuke's arm "I don't like how this floor feels. It reminds me of-"

"There's somethin' on this floor you guys should avoid." A pair of yellow eyes glowed in the shadows as the jingling of chains was heard. "Somethin' that brings him a lot of nightmares and unwelcome memories. Dark places, things breaking against walls, loud voices, and the smell of alcohol. Good luck on surviving this floor." Shadow Ryuji disappeared into the blackness and the lights flickered on in his place.

Joker blinked in confusion. "Smell of alco…"

 _"My dad was a drunk."_

Akira felt his body go ridged. "Oh no…"

"Joker, what is it?" Mona asked. "Did you figure out what Ryuji was talking about?"

"We need to-"

 **"BRAT!"** The booming sound of a deep slurring voice echoed throughout the floor. **"Where's that good for nothin' son!?"**

Panther backed up and shook her head wildly. "No… no… that's not his father, is it?"

"His father?" Fox's eyes flicked around, trying to catch a glimpse of where the voice had come from. "What exactly was Ryuji's past like?"

"Uh-"

The sound of a heavy thud interrupted what Akira was going to say and the ebony haired teen slowly moved his head to where a massive creature with beer bottles and cans dangling from its neck walked down the hall. The monster wore a torn tanktop with cigarette burns in it, a pair of equally torn pants with chains and broken glass bottles tied to it dragged across the ground. Its face was hidden behind a mass of darkness that swirled around it, Joker only managed to catch a glimpse of glowing white eyes. Oracle quickly clung to Akira as she started to evaluate the towering creature.

"Joker, we can't fight this. I-I thought it was strange that I couldn't sense any shadows on the previous floor, b-but it all makes sense now. That thing is an amalgamation of all of them. This is Ryuji's fear."

Suddenly Ryuji's father whipped his head towards the Thieves and started towards with speed the teens had never seen before.

 **"There you are, you brat! I'll teach you to run away from me!"**

Akira acted quickly, picking up Futaba and yelling an order at the others. "Run!"

The others ran the opposite way, barely avoiding Ryuji's father as he slammed into the wall where they once stood. Mona climbed onto Panther's shoulder and looking around, hoping to find someplace for them to hid. Oracle clung to Joker, she looked back every now and then to check on the creature. She screamed as it threw a beer bottle at the teens, which crashed into one of the walls and sprayed them in the foul smelling liquid.

"There's a safe room up ahead!" Mona called, ducking as another beer bottle was thrown. "We're almost there!"

"Joker, he's getting closer!"

Akira sped up; he could feel the hot breath of the amalgamation on his neck. Fox and Queen pulled open the doors to the safe room and ushered the others in.

"Joker! Oracle!"

Futaba screamed as Ryuji's father reached out to grab her just as the leader came into the room. Yusuke and Makoto promptly shut the doors and backed up as the creature slammed into them. The entry way rattled a few times before going quiet.

 **"You can't hide in there forever, Ryuji! If I can't get to you, I'll go after that useless bitch you call a mother!"**

The sound of loud footsteps faded away and the group let out a sigh of relief. Futaba clung onto Akira, who brought her close to him in a hug. Perhaps tackling Ryuji's palace was going to be more difficult than he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

The air was tense; no one dared to speak as all eyes were still trained on the door. Fox had a hand on his katana, ready in case the amalgamation came bursting into the room. Queen had a steady grip on her gun, maroon eyes trained for any sudden movements. Oracle still clung to Joker, body still shaking in fear as she kept up her fierce grip.

"We should… turn back for now." Mona's voice grabbed Akira's attention as he turned to face the feline.

"What? But Ryuji-"

"We're exhausted, Joker." The cat straightened up, standing above the teen on the table. "And we can't get past that… monster. We have to regroup and think about our approach."

Akira opened his mouth to retort, but a glance around the room quickly shut down his argument. Panther sat in one of the chairs; staring at the ever changing walls as they flickered from an abandoned room to what appeared to be a bathroom. Noir was silent, her hat sat on the table and she looked worn out, both mentally and physically. Fox and Queen held strong in their unmoving stances, but a closer look could tell that both teens were suffering the effect Ryuji's palace had on them. Oracle, herself, was in no condition to continue on any further. Mona crossed his paws, looking off to the side as Joker caught sight of his frazzled fur.

The cat was right, they were in no condition to carry on, but the threat of Mementos and Ryuji's crumbling palace weighted heavily on the leaders mind. Akira took a deep breath and closed his eyes, this was a hard decision, but… the safety of the team comes first.

 _'I'm sorry, Ryuji, but hold on just a little longer.'_ Joker opened his eyes and stood up, facing the rest of the Thieves. "Alright, let's return for now. We need all the rest we can get for this Palace."

The teens visibly sagged as teleported back to the entrance of the sinking ship and left through the portal. Ann nearly fell as they reentered the real world, only to be grabbed by Makoto.

"I'll walk Ann and Haru home." The student president said, casting fatigued red eyes at the ebony haired teen. "I'll see you tomorrow at school. Goodnight."

The remaining members of the team say their goodbyes and watched as the girls left.

Akira frowned before directing his gaze at Yusuke. "What about you, Yusuke? Can you get home safety?"

"I shall be fine." The artist wobbled slightly as he took a step. "Don't worry about me. Goodnight, Akira. You too, Futaba and Morgana."

The teen waited as the taller boy left. "Futaba, are you okay to walk or do you want me to carry you?"

"I-I'm good." She managed to pry herself from the leader's side. "C-C'mon, Sojiro's probably worried about us."

The navigator was right, as soon as they stepped foot in Leblanc, Sojiro had turned into a mother hen. Fussing as he checked them over with quick but observant eyes. Futaba leaned into him and yawned about going home, which caused the café owner to sigh. He wished Akira and Morgana a good night before taking his daughter home. The feline dropped like a sack onto the bed while Akira changed into his pajamas. Morgana closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep, body rising and falling, while ebony haired leader sat down on the edge of the bed. He shot a glance at the feline before pulling out his phone.

 _Hey, Ryuji. Did you get enough sleep?_

Akira waited a few minutes for a response, but none came. Raising an eyebrow, he shot him another message.

 _Ryuji? You're not still asleep, are you? I know you keep your phone's volume on max._

Still no response. A pang of anxiety began to blossom on Akira's chest.

 _Ryuji? Are you okay?_

 _Ryuji?_

He swiftly pressed call and brought the phone to his ear, waiting patiently as it began to ring. Ryuji always picked up after the third ring, so maybe-

 _"This number could not be reached."_

Akira paled at the sound of the automated message. Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no…. the teen was starting to fear the worse. Maybe the palace had collapsed when they had left it. Had Akira just missed a vital opportunity to save his best friend? Should they have suffered through their fatigue just to get to the treasure room? Akira stands up from the bed in a rush, startling Morgana awake.

"Joker?" The bi-colored feline yawned. "What's wrong?"

"It's Ryuji. He's not picking up or answering my messages. What if the palace collapsed just as we left?" He started to pace, muttering scenario after scenario until they turned into a mess of murmurs.

"Joker. Joker! Akira!"

"What?!"

The cat gave him a tired and irritated look. "Check the Metanav to see if his palace is still there. It's late out and you're in no condition to be trying to leave."

"But, I have to go check on him."

"I can see your legs wobbling from here!" Morgana snapped before laying his head on his paws. "Check the Metanav." He repeated before falling asleep.

Akira frowned as he glared at his companion before staring at his phone. He quickly brought up the app and searched for Ryuji's palace.

"Palace not complete."

The teen let out the breath he was holding and collapsed back onto the bed. They still had time… he still had time… they can still save Ryuji. With that knowledge on his mind, he fell into an uneasy sleep. Unfortunately, once Akira got to school the next day, the feeling of his anxiety heightened as there was no sign of scruffy blond anywhere at Shujin. Worry clearly showed on the other's faces once the bell rang for the end of the prison like school.

"There was no sign of him? Anywhere?" Ann's anxious blue eyes trained on him as Akira shook his head.

"And he wasn't answering his phone last night…" The leader tightened his hold on his phone. "I'm going over to his apartment."

"I'm coming too!" Ann yelled, startling Akira.

"So am I."

"As am I."

Akira looked at the girls, each of them sporting the same worried look in their eyes. He felt the anxiety lift a little as he texted Futaba and Yusuke where they were headed.

"Let's go."

When they arrived at the apartment number, something was majorly off. The front door was opened and the teens could hear the sound of a woman crying. Akira rushed into the apartment without thinking and paused in the doorway, taking in the sight of a woman in her mid-thirties. Her long black hair was a mess and she cried into her hands as another woman gently comforted her.

"Ms. Sakamoto?" Akira spoke softly, gaining the attention of the woman. "What's wrong?"

"Kurusu-san…" Ms. Sakamoto sobbed as the others stepped into the room. "Please tell me Ryu-kun is with you."

The teen felt his blood run cold. "H-He's not…"

"… So the note was true…"

"Note?"

The other woman picked up a piece of paper and handed it to the ebony haired teen. The Thieves looked over his shoulder as he began reading.

 _'Sorry, Mom  
I wish I could've been a better son to you… I'm so so sorry…  
Tell Akira and the others that I… that I ran away like the useless pile of shit that I am…  
I'm sorry…'_


	7. Chapter 7

Akira felt as if time had stopped as he clutched the note, reading it over and over again. Everything became white noise; he couldn't hear any conversations around him. He felt Makoto move away and muffledly addressed the woman by Mr. Sakamoto's side. Too many scenarios were going through his mind, each of them stating how he could've prevented this… could've prevented Ryuji running away. He shuffled away from his friends and out the door, ignoring their cries of his name as he left. He hastily pulled out his phone and activated the metanav. No more breaks, they had to finish this palace or else Ryuji would be lost to them forever.

He heard the others hurry after him as the swirling mass or red and black engulfed his vision. Once it cleared, the leader of the thieves had to quickly regain his balance. He clung onto the railing and looked around in confusion before slate colored eyes landed on what stood before him. Joker's eyes widened as he caught sight of the Palace, hearing the others exclaim in shook as they too caught a glimpse of it. Ryuji's palace had officially sunk, as did Akira's stomach and heart. The ship, Captain Kidd's beloved ship, was nowhere to be seen. The ocean had swallowed the vessel whole and only left remains of it.

Debris still fell from the visible parts of the complex, splashing down into the choppy waters. Broken bits and pieces of both _Adventure Galley_ and the apartment flowed around, almost in a mocking fashion, making a halo in the seawater. Joker looked down to see where he was as Arsene let out a cry of despair. All that remained of _Adventure Galley_ was the broken off bow the teens were currently standing on. Joker stared down into the painted on smile and frowned, he felt like it was mocking them. He half expected the smile to part and say "Times up."

"Look at the state of it." Came Queen's voice.

"How horrid." Noir added.

Joker could feel Fox settle next to him. "Can we truly save his heart now?"

"Mona, what's going on?! Why does Ryuji's Palace look like this?" Panther yelled at the feline as she and Oracle sat on the outside of the railing.

"I-I don't know!" The cat leapt down, landing on one of the broken masts. "I've never seen this happen before…"

Joker jumped down and landed next to Morgana. "Can you make a guess?"

"I-I think his decision to run away increased the state of distortion in his heart which in turn accelerated the collapse of his Palace." Mona's ears fell and he turned his big blue eyes towards his leader. "I don't know how much time we have left now."

Akira felt his heart clench, they were already on a strict time limit to begin with. He looked back out towards the now staggering building; they had to finish this _today_.

"We don't have much time!" He raised his voice to the others above. "So we have to get this done!"

"Yes, Joker!"

Akira teleported them into the last safe room; where the smell of alcohol greeted them from under the door. The teen quietly opened the door and peeked into the hallway. The sound of thudding footsteps could be heard in the distance along with the faint grumbling of the amalgamation. Joker silently commanded the others as they left the safe room, eyes and ears on the lookout for Ryuji's father. The leader rounded the corner and skidded to a stop as the monster stood at the end of the hallway. The creature swiftly turned to face him, glowing eyes staring deep into Akira's slate ones. Ryuji's father rushed at him and Joker felt himself rooted to the spot out of sudden fear. Was this how Ryuji felt every time his father turned his drunken wrath on him?

He was suddenly pulled into the darkness of a corner before the teen could get grabbed by the hulking fist or smashed by one of the bottles. The monster slammed into a nearby wall and shook his head, white eyes glaring at the darkness.

 **"You can't keep running, Ryuji. Take your punishment like the so called man that you are**!" The beast growled. **"Unless you wanna spend another day in the closet, you better come out!"**

"He locked Ryuji in a closet?" Fox muttered under his breath. "How dreadful. To suffer alone in the darkness for who knows how long."

Joker agreed, remembering how tight of a grip Ryuji had on his coat during the dark maze in Sae's Palace. "I think… his father gave him Nyctophobia…"

He heard Panther huff nearby. "I want to kick his ass."

Noir brandished her ax and Akira could see the faint glint of anger in her eyes. "Agreed. He deserved to pay for making Ryuji-kun and his mother suffer for all those years."

"As much as I want that to happen," Oracle said from her spot next to Mona and Queen. "We can't. That thing's too strong."

"So we're left with just sneaking past it." Queen sighed.

 **"Can't believe that I had a son that's as useless and pathetic as his mother! Waste of space and air!"** Akira's hand twitched towards his daggers. **"Good for nothing for can't do anything right except whine and complain! The mistake that you are!"** Joker wanted so badly for him to shut up, to stop belittling Ryuji.

The Thieves watched as the amalgamation hunkered away, yelling Ryuji's name every so often followed by a threat of abuse. They stunk past him and made it to the door at the end of the hall, where the opened the entry way into a set of stairs. They quickly climbed up it and were met with a partially flooded room filled with floating boxes, crates, barrels, and chests. It reminded Joker of the way pirates would store their supplies and treasure.

 _"It seems Kidd's influence is still present."_ Arsene spoke up from within the debts of Akira's mind _. "I wonder how much of him is left within Chariot's heart…"_

 _'He's still in there, Arsene, he's just…'_

 _"Sunk?"_

 _'Buried.'_

Arsene scoffed. _"You are optimistic for someone suffering through losing their best friend."_

Akira narrowed his eyes as he led his team to the doors. _'Low blow, Arsene.'_

 _"Apologizes. It appears your frustration has shifted over to me in the process."_

The teen said nothing as the winged persona's presence faded once they reached the exit. He frowned as he stared at the chains and heavy lock wound tight around the doors.

"We need the key." He spoke, turning around to face the Thieves.

"What? This isn't an RPG." Oracle grumbled. "There's like a thousand boxes around here."

Akira patted the long haired teen on the shoulder. "Better get to breaking."

"Not funny, Joker."

The ebony haired teen shook his head and pulled out his dagger, prying open the nearest chest. The case gave way and popped open, spilling gold coins into the water, but housing no key. The teens went around, breaking open container after container only to be met with a myriad of coins and no key. As Joker broke open his tenth one, Fox's voice drifted over the sound of clinking coinage.

"It appears that we are on a time limit. The water is rising."

 _Great._


	8. Chapter 8

Of course a room full of crates and a locked door would be timed, why wouldn't it?

Akira was beating himself up as he and the others rushed through the room, still breaking the containers and seeing no key. In the distance, he heard Futaba yell something out about the water being up to her waist. The water was rising at a rapid rate and soon the seawater had flooded over half of the room. Futaba clung onto Makoto, shaking and muttering about how she couldn't swim.

"Joker," Panther swam over to where he was. "Have you found anything yet?"

Akira hated this; he hated everything that was happening beyond his control. Ryuji, the palace, his team, all of it was slipping away and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

"Joker?"

If only he had figured something out sooner. If only head had ignored all the times Morgana to leave him be. If only-

"Joker!"

Akira jolted out of his self-loathing and turned to face the pigtailed blonde. "What?"

Ann held onto the rafters in order to steady herself. "I asked if you found the key yet… although I don't think it matters anymore." She looked around with a sad expression. "I-I think we're going to die here…"

Joker followed her gaze and felt a pang of sadness and regret. He took in the sight of Fox and Queen trying to keep Oracle away from the water. Noir floated nearby with Mona on her head, she eyed the water warily as the feline climbed up higher.

"I-Is this what we get for treating Ryuji like this?" Panther sniffed. "Dying in his palace for everything we did to him… seems ironic."

"I…" Akira looked down into the water, seeing the mass amount of gold coins at the bottom. "Panther, I-I'm-"

"Don't apologize. You didn't-"

"But I helped cause it!" He wished the water would just engulf them already. "And I-I…" Akira trailed off as he noticed something shining down on the floor that wasn't round. "Hold on."

"Joker?"

"Tell everyone to swim over to the door." He ordered as he dove underwater, making a mad dash for the key.

He grabbed the key, only to discover it was chained to one of the crates. Akira rolled his eyes and tried to pry the bolted plating away from the wood. He could feel his lungs burning as he continued, eventually freeing the key and swam quickly towards the surface. Joker took in a deep breath, shaking access water from his hair just as the others spotted him.

"Joker!" Queen yelled as their leader swam over. "The lock's completely submerged."

"Shouldn't take too long." He gave them a reassuming smile and dove back under the seawater.

The ebony haired teen fiddled with the key before the lock fell to the bottom of the floor and dissolved into nothing. Akira pushed his weight against the rusted door and tried in vain to open it. Eventually it gave way, causing the Thieves to be pushed into the next room by the rushing current. Akira lay there, staring up at the crumbling ceiling as he listened to the sound of his team picking themselves off the soaked floor.

"I hate the water!" Both Mona and Oracle yelled out.

Joker couldn't help but laugh as Fox walked over to help him up.

"I've had about enough water for one day." Yusuke moved his wet fringe out of his face. "Shall we?"

"Yeah." Akira shook his head, sending water droplets flying.

"I think we're close to the treasure!" Mona jumped about. "I can sense it!"

Good, just a little further and then this palace would be done. The room they were in looked no different than the lower floors, but it didn't help calm down the unease in Akira's stomach. He felt something was off; with each step further into the room, the sound of something falling apart filled the silence. The teen didn't have to wait long as the floor beneath them started to crack and break apart.

"To the stairs!" He yelled out.

The Thieves rushed towards the exit, dodging falling debris and crumbling floors. Queen and Panther reach the stair way first and help the others as they reach out. Joker takes up the rear, making sure to the others are safe before he follows them. Ann extends her hand out for Futaba just as the floor gives out from under her, Fox's and Joker's feet. The water rushed up to meet them and they land with a loud splash, drowning out Panther and Queen's cry of their names. The sudden current of other collapsing floors drags them further under. Akira looks over to the teens; among the mess of bubbles and debris, Yusuke has an unwavering grip on Oracle.

Joker makes to follow them only to be grabbed by something and hauled away from them. Whatever grabbed him throws him up and out of the ocean, where he lands on a stable floor with a harsh cough. Akira hauls himself off the floor and attempts to dive back into the water, only to pause as he hears the sound of a dragging chain. He turns around to face Ryuji's shadow, who stares him down with his hands in his pockets.

"Ryu-"

"Why even go after them?" The shadow snorts. "Just leave them be."

Joker shakes his head. "I can't do that, Ryuji, they're our friends-"

"What kinda friends are they to me!?" Shadow Ryuji yelled and a boom of thunder followed after. "What kinda friends act like that, huh? Tell me, Akira!"

"They're here for you now-"

"Only because they feel bad! They wanna fix what they fucked up!"

"Ryu-"

"…."

"Ryuji, please, we're going to help you." Joker made a reach for him.

"Why did you come and stop me last night?"

His voice sounded small and broken which caused the leader to flinch. "I-I-"

"Ain't I important to you? All this talk about us bein' best friends and sayin' that you never abandoned me… was it real?" Shadow Ryuji turned back around to face him; his glowing yellow eyes were full of hurt. "A-Are you gonna leave me just like they did? Just like everyone does?"

Akira places both his hands on the soaked shoulders. "I wanted to come see you, but Morgana-"

"Morgana what? C'mon, Joker," He shoved the hands off of his shoulders and backed up. "Can't you do things by yourself for once without havin' that damn cat tellin' you what to do?"

"I-" Akira flinched.

"Was it Morgana who told you to leave me alone? Was it Morgana who told you to watch as I was beaten up by the girls? Was it Morgana that let those two in Shinjuku kidnap me?" Shadow Ryuji narrows his eyes and Akira could hear the storm picking up outside. "Face it, Kurusu, you're just as bad as they are." He disappeared, leaving the raven staring at where he once was.

 _No. No. No._ _He never did any of that, did he?_ Flashes of images came up in his head and Akira slapped a hand over his mouth. He sunk to the floor as tears weld up in his eyes. Ryuji was right; he allowed all of that to happen to the blond. Actions speak louder than words and Akira was now cursing his silent nature. The teen sat there, listening to the storm and the waves as they crashed against the building. All of his morale has vanished, leaving him a shell of what he made himself out to be. Joker was reminded of that night when he got arrested, how scared and terrified he had felt. Those feels came rushing back as he replayed Ryuji's words over and over again.

He jumps as a hand settles on his shoulder and he turns to face Yusuke with a soaking Futaba clinging to him.

"Joker, are- What happened?"

Akira rubs away the unshed tears and stands up. "Nothing." His voice cracks and he pushes past them. "Let's see if we can-" Suddenly, Panther's whip falls down, dangling right in front of the trio. "Didn't take them long…"

"Grab on!" Queen's voice drifts down from above.

Joker and Fox send Oracle ahead of them, watching as supporting her as she's pulled up to the upper levels.

"Joker." Fox turns to him and Akira tries to ignore the artist. "I'm used to giving the cold shoulder, you can't ignore me. What happened after Oracle and I were dragged by the current?"

"Nothing happened, Fox, stop asking." The leader could feel his patience running thin as the whip was dropped down again. "Go."

Yusuke opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself, reaching out to grab the leather weapon instead. Akira waits, glaring down at the water and he tries to calm himself down. He grabs the whip before it even comes down all the way and pulls climbs his way up it. He settles down on the floor with the other and pushes his mask up, pinching the bridge of his nose. The air is tense as all eyes land on the thieves' leader.

"Joker?" Mona asks, ears twitching as he tilts his head. "Is everything okay?"

"You know what, Mona? No, everything is not okay. I had a talk with Ryuji'shadow."

"W-What did he say?"

"He reminded me of all the times I listened to you and couldn't decide on something for myself." Akira raised his head and glared at the feline, who jumped back in shook. "That time, in Shinjuku, when I said that we should get Ryuji away from those guys. What was it that you said, Mona?"

The cat was silent for once, blue eyes cast down on the ground.

"Mona, what was it that you said?"

"I said that he'd be fine and we shouldn't worry about him…"

"And what happened next?"

Morgana's ears fell. "Joker-"

"Answer, Morgana!"

"He almost had something special taken away! But it's not my fault, you let that happen!"

"Because I listened to you! All of that shit that happened to Ryuji because I let you talk down to him!" Joker had stood up by now. "Why did I allow you to continuously shit talk him?! What was the deal with you and him in the first place?!"

"It's because he's an idiot!" Mona growled. "He doesn't pick up on everything as quick as the others-"

"And that makes him your prime target? That's a fucking shitty excuse and you know it."

"And you let it happen! So what does that make you?!" The cat fired back.

"A shitty friend." Akira snarled. "But at least I don't call him an idiot and every name under the sun, Mona. Face it; he was never really your friend to begin with. He was your stepping stool, someone you could put down to take the attention off of you. You're a brat, Morgana."

The cat flinched and his eyes went wide, he backed away from the others with fallen ears.

"Joker," Panther spoke up. "Wasn't that a little harsh?"

"I should've said something earlier. To you and to everyone here." He turned his attention to his team. "We caused this palace. We beat up someone who saved out asses and left him there leaning against a light pole. We are no better than the track team that watched as Kamoshida broke Ryuji's leg. We're paying for it now, Ryuji's paying for it. After this is done, enough of using him as a punching back or a stepping stool, understood?" Akira had a stern tone in his voice as he spoke.

"… Understood."

"Let's go." Joker stepped through the exit and climbed up the stairs, not caring if the others had followed.

He opened to door at the top and stepped into the treasure room, pausing as the decor changed from an abandoned building to a foggy version of Leblanc. A glowing, floating orb stood in the center of the room and Joker longed to reach out to it, to hold it close and never let go.

"L-Leblanc?" Oracle stood next to him. "The treasure is in here?"

"He must hold Leblanc as a special place in his heart." Queen said.

"It is our hideout…"

"Oh!" Panther exclaimed. "W-We have to send a Calling Card to him…"

A Calling Card, something that normally fell to the faux blond. But… how would they get it to him? He wasn't answering his phone and he had run away…

"We have to come up with something. This is for Ryuji."

* * *

Akira looked down at the card as he rolled his shoulders, groaning softly as they popped and cracked. The others sighed, all slumping against the table, the card was finished and everyone was glad for it. It appears writing Calling Cards weren't easy, something else they had taken for granted when Ryuji was here.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Akira nodded and snapped a pic of the card, sending it to the blond and hopping that he responded to it. He set the phone down and looked back at the Card.

 _"Ryuji Sakamato, the holder of resentment.  
Your times of being beaten down are over,  
we have come to rid you of this dread and take your heart.  
To rid you of your pain, this shall be done tomorrow.  
From the Phantom Thieves of Hearts."_

A few minutes passed as all eyes were on the device in the middle. Akira feared he wouldn't respond until the notification went off.

 _ **Ryuji**_ _: Is takin' my heart the only way to help me? Then take it, please, I can't deal with this… pain anymore._


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh, Ryuji…"

Reading his message pained him, but at least he had gotten a response out of him. Tomorrow, they would steal his heart and until then, all the team could do was rest.

"Go home and get some rest." Akira ordered, grabbing his phone and shoving it in his pocket. "We have an important day tomorrow."

The others said nothing, just simply nodded and left. They wished him goodnight and he responded back with a mumble, too caught up in his own thoughts for a proper answer. He changed into his sleepwear and settled on the bed, pulling out his phone to stare at it in solemn silence.

 _Ryuji? Are you still there?_

He waited a few minutes, half expecting the blond to not respond. The leader almost jumped just as the sound of his text alert went off.

 ** _Ryuji:_** _Yeah…_

 _One more day. Can you last one more day?_

 ** _Ryuji:_** _I-I don't know… damnit, it hurts, Akira…_

 _I know, please. I have something to tell you once this is all over._

 ** _Ryuji:_** _… ok… Do your best. I'm rootin' for ya..._

Akira could almost hear the blond's tired voice cheering them on. The teen was almost afraid to sleep, out of fear for what lay ahead of him tomorrow. He bid Ryuji a good night, despite his brain screaming at him not to. The next day, the team skipped school, ruling that saving their friend was more important. The inside of foggy Leblanc greeted them once Akira booted up the metanav.

"The treasure…"

Floating before them, in place of the treasure, was Ryuji's Skull mask. Akira reached out to grab it, gently holding it in his hands as the others gathered around him. Joker stared down at the dark gray object and sighed. They had gotten what they came for, so where was Shadow Ryuji?

"To think that his mask was his treasure." Panther spoke in a small voice. "He… really valued the Phantom Thieves and everything we did…"

"He was the one who gave us and name." Mona muttered.

Fox added with a small frown. "He also started the Calling Cards."

"He thought up everything to say." Queen rubbed her upper arm.

"Skull was energetic about everything." Oracle played with her hair. "He was practically the drive force."

Noir pulled down her hat. "And we never appreciated him…"

"We're going to start." The leader turned to his team. "Let's go bring him back."

"Yes, Joker!"

The raven made his way to the entrance of the Café, only to pause with his hand on the door as the ground shook below him.

"What was-"

Suddenly the building dropped fast, sending the teen into the roof of Leblanc with the sudden change of speed. The café met the water with a huge splash before resurfacing, bobbing about in the water as the thieves slammed into the ground.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Panther rubbed the back of her head; her mask had fallen off in the chaos. "What just happened?"

"I don't-"

The room began folding apart and the teens scrambled to get away from the walls. Their eyes flickered around as the building fell apart into what Joker would assume would be the battle grounds. Something shot out of the water and grabbed the mask out of the ebony teen's hands. They watched as a watery blob dropped the treasure into Shadow Ryuji's hand. The wind began to pick up as a storm started to form overhead.

"It ain't gonna be that easy." The blond's shadow settled the mask on his face and glared yellow daggers at the others. "Not everythin' can be wiped clean with a simple change of heart."

"Ryuji-kun, we don't wish to fight you!" Noir yelled above the roaring wind.

"Well too fuckin' bad!" The shadow roared out. "Cause I wanna fight you guys."

"Ryuji, please!" The wind stared to pick up and Joker almost missed Panther's shout. "We're trying to-"

"You left me there after I saved your asses!" A tornado of water formed around the platform. "What kinda friends are you?! Shitty ones who think its fine to just beat up someone like me!" Thunder boomed over head as lighting crackled, illumining the pure rage on Shadow Ryuji's face. "Well, now it's my turn to beat up on you guys! Bring it the hell on!"

Joker barely had time to give an order as Shadow Ryuji let loose a Maziodyne, hitting Morgana and Queen dead on. The pair let out a scream as they hit the ground, electric coursing through their bodies.

"Queen! Mona!" Noir turned her sights on the blond and charged at him, ax raised for an attack.

Joker tried to stop her. "Wait, Noir-"

Too late. Ryuji grabbed the handle of the weapon and set out a Megaton Raid in retaliation. She hit the wet floor with a thud and lay there, unmoving.

"Noir!"

This was going so wrong; the shadow had just knocked out three members like it was nothing. Yellow eyes turned towards Joker as Ryuji threw down the ax and charged at him. Fox intercepted the blow from the pipe and fought off the blond as the leader directed his attention at Oracle.

"Status, now!"

"H-H-He's weak to wind." The long haired girl's voice shook, Akira could tell it was from fear. "Joker, what do we do? We can't fight him."

"We don't have a choice, Oracle." Slate eyes glanced over just as the artist was thrown to the ground. "He's forcing us to do this." He looked over at Ann. "Panther, heal the others, I'm going to help Fox."

The blonde nodded and summoned Carmen as Akira swapped masks, summoning a Garudyne to knock the shadow away from the taller teen. Ryuji's back met the swirling mass of water and Joker feared that it would swallow him up whole. The Shadow shook his hair and glared at the leader.

"I ain't gonna fight you, but I will if you do that again."

Joker was taken back by that statement. Ryuji didn't want to fight him, but was more than willing to beat down the others? Akira looked closely into the shadowed yellow eyes and flinched as he caught a flicker of sadness and fear. W-Was Ryuji afraid to hurt him? He opened his mouth to say something just as a Garudyne went off, hitting the shadow at full force and sending him to the ground. Mona struggled to his paws as Zorro floated above him; his blue eyes were narrowed in on the shadow.

"Oh, that's it. Time to die, you shitty cat!" The ground beneath Ryuji's feet glowed as a Matarukaja and Charge were used. "Eat this!" He launched an Agneyastra at the group with a wicked smile.

"No!"

Akira threw up his arms just as a Futaba blocked the hit, she wouldn't have done that unless the move was going to kill.

"Joker, we can't go easy on him." Mona said once the smoke cleared. "I know you don't want to hurt him, but…"

The leader sighed, even though it pained him to say it, morgana was right. They couldn't get away with small hits like this; they had to hit him hard.

"Mona, with me, we'll hit him with Garudynes. Everyone else," He turned to look at the team. "Hit him with whatever you got."

They nodded and Akira turned his attention back to where the blond stood, staring them down from behind the Skull mask.

 _'I'm sorry, Ryuji, but this has to be done.'_

The shadow was thrown back as the Garudyne's connected; he fell to the ground with a thud. Ryuji struggled to get up only to be hit with a Freidyne and a One-shot Kill. They didn't give the shadow a break as a Vorpal Blade and Agidyne quickly followed. Akira issued a Hold-up and the sounds of cocking guns were heard. Ryuji panted as he leaned on his pipe, glared at the thieves all the while.

"Shit…"

"Give up, Ryuji, and let us take the treasure." Joker pushed up his mask. "You don't have to suffer anymore."

"Heh… he didn't tell you?"

Akira raised an eyebrow, unhidden due to the down pour of seawater. "Tell us what?

"How he got this Palace." He smirked. "He's had it since that whole shit with Okumura. You know, where you guys blamed him for causin' Morgana to leave."

The team flinched and Joker felt the steady grip on his gun waver. F-Four months? Ryuji had had this palace since September and they caused it to manifest.

"Everythin' was fine; the palace wasn't doing any harm, just a reminder for how he saw himself. Then all of that shit started happenin' and bit by- fuckin'- bit, the Palace started to sink. The public blaming the Phantom Thieves for Okumaru's death, the whole deal with Akechi, Akira being 'dead' and hidden until he could come back." The shadow stood up straight and pointed his pipe at the teens. "The final nail in the coffin was when you beat him up and left him there like he was nothin' but garbage. Congrats, how does it feel knowin' that you caused all of this mess?"

Akira felt the despair hit him as the shadow backed up the edge of the area. He reached out to him just as the amalgamation of Ryuji's father came crashing through the water and engulfed the shadow.

"Ryu-" Joker looked away as a bright light erupted from them and the wind pushed them back into the wall of water.

A creature emerged from the light that reminded the teen of the monsters in mythology. Black ooze dripped down and splatted against the wood with a disgusting squish as the amalgamation took a step forwards. A heavy set tail slammed into the ground, causing shards to fly from the impact. The creature stood taller than any persona Akira had in his arsenal, heavy darkness covered it from head to toe. The only indication that it was still Shadow Ryuji was the mask. A set of glowing yellow-white eyes stared down at the leader as it approached.

"Ryuji!" Akira struggled to his feet, the feeling of despair was crushing him, but he had to save Ryuji. "Ryuji!"

The creature let out a roar and charged up a move, everyone lay on the ground and couldn't defend themselves from their impending doom. Joker ran forward as best as he could, stumbling every so often as he headed towards Ryuji. He'd take the hit for them and have Mona or Panther heal him after. Anything… anything to keep them safe…

"Ryuji!"

The creature turned to him just as the teen tackled him, sending them both into the wall of water upwards into the stormy skies. The monster snapped at him and tried to struggle loose, but Akira had a tight grip on him. Eventually, the water blew them out and high above the ground. The pair began to fall down as the sound of wind rushing filled the ebony haired teen's ears.

"Are you fuckin' crazy?" Joker turned to look at the amalgamation as it spoke in a distorted voice. "What the hell were you thinkin'?"

"I-I… I wasn't thinking really… I just wanted you to stop."

Ryuji growled. "They deserve it. Every bit of payback for every hit or word thrown at me. Why should I have to suffer through everythin'!?"

"You're not alone, Ryuji!"

"I was always alone!" The mask started to fall away, revealing Shadow Ryuji's face. "Mom and I suffered through everything alone! No one came to our rescue! And when he left, he took everythin' we had! My mom works three jobs to take care of us and I can't even help her with that because no one wants a troubled kid!" The black sludge started to fall apart. "The only time I could help was with track! I ain't that smart and this was the only thing I had! And then I lost that! I lost everythin' and I was alone!"

Akira watched as more sludge fell off, revealing more and more of the shadow.

"And then you came… You came and gave me somethin' I could live for." Shadow Ryuji's voice sounded choked. "And you… you made me fall in love with you…" He stared to cry. "You made me feel like I had somethin'… that I was special… You listened to what I had to say, you cared, you made me less of a failure." Ryuji sobbed. "Why… why does fallin' in love hurt so bad? Why does all of this hurt so bad? I just wanna be accepted somewhere…"

"Ryuji." Akira reached out and pulled him into tight hug. "I accept you. I love everything you are and everything you will be. You're special to me and to us, so please, let's not fight anymore."

The shadow sobbed as he returned the hug, crying Akira's name over and over again. The teen closed his eyes and buried his face into the blond locks. They fell into the arms of Arsene, who gently lowered them to the ground. The water and storm cleared as all eyes fell to the pair still huddled together.

"I love you, Ryuji. That will never change."

Shadow Ryuji pulled away and gave a tearful smile as he started to disappear. Akira held out his hands as the Skull mask fell into his hands.

"Let's go home." Joker turned to address his team as the remains of the palace began to collapse.


	10. Chapter 10

Akira had never passed out as fast as he had once they left the metaverse. The fight kept replying over and over in his head. He had confessed his love for Ryuji, well, his shadow self. It made him feel almost giddy, but he couldn't get lost in the feeling. Ryuji was still out there somewhere and they were going to bring him back home. He fell asleep feeling lighter than he had in months. Akira awoke early the next morning to the sound of his phone going off. The teen blindly reached over for it and pressed the call button, bringing up the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" He yawned in greeting.

"Yo man…"

Akira shot up quickly, flinging the now awake Morgana off of his chest. "Ryuji?"

"Yeah… um…." There was the sound of a car speeding by in the background. "My heart… you really did change it…"

"Of course I would. You're precious to me, Ryuji."

Ryuji laughed nervously. "Yeah, so, um, c-can you come get me?"

"Get you?" Akira got out of the bed, instantly moving over to where his clothes were. "Where are you right now?"

"Um… Mt. Fuji?"

Akira paused, was Ryuji planning to… He shook his head to erase the thought. "Okay, I'll call the others and we'll be there."

"Eff… the guys…"

"Ryuji, you're going to have to listen to what they have to say."

"Hell, fine… Hey, Akira?"

"Hmm?"

"You said that you had somethin' to tell me. What was it?"

"Oh." Akira held open his bag and let the feline jump inside. "I'll tell you once I see you. This has to be face to face."

"… Ok… I'll be waitin' for ya. See ya. I'll be waitin' in front of one of the motels…"

"Alright. See you soon, Ryuji."

The call ended and immediately Akira called the others, walking them up with a few fast words. An hour or two later, they were on the road in a rental van to Kitayama, making fast tracks to where their missing team member was. Akira's eyes were glued to the window, slate eyes flickering around the city as they tried to spot the wild blond.

"There he is!" Futaba's sudden yell caught his attention as the van pulled into a nearby motel.

Ryuji was leaning against one of the pillars, his hood was up and his hands were buried deep into his pockets. His foot was bouncing up and down against the concreate as the van pulled up. Akira quickly got out and waited as Ryuji's head raised up to look at him. Shadowed brown eyes quickly looked down to the ground as the teen approached him.

"Ryuji."

"Hey…"

"Look at me."

A few moments passed before Ryuji looked at the teen, eyes full of uncertainty. Akira raised his hands, cupped the blond's cheeks, and brought him in for a kiss. Ryuji made a startled noise and relaxed into the kiss, pulling his hands out and wrapping his arms around the messy haired leader. Akira holds in chuckle as he hears the others gasping, or in Futaba's case, cheering them on. The leader broke off the kiss and stared into Ryuji's chocolate colored eyes.

"W-What?"

"I'm sorry for everything that happened. It won't happen again, I promise." He replied sweetly. "I love you."

Something flicked in Ryuji's eyes. "You… love me? Like no kiddin'?"

"No kidding. I love you."

"Why me? You could have anyone, but why me?"

"Because, my place is by your side as your place is by mine. Will you let me be your boyfriend?"

Ryuji's face flushed red and stammers out an answer before placing his forehead on Akira's shoulder. "The hell, man… You're makin my heart beat a mile a minute." He tightens his hold on the teen's shirt. "Yeah… o-only if I can be yours."

Akira smiles and pulls him into another kiss. "I'd love for you to be."

The blush deepens until Ann's voice cuts through the moment.

"Stop locking lips and let us get a hug in, Akira!"

Akira looked back at the van and shoots the pigtailed blonde a smirk before pulling the teen into his chest. "I'm having a moment with my boyfriend, Ann."

Ryuji squawks as the model jumps out of the van and pulls the pair into a tight hug. Eventually, the others piled out of the van and joined in the hug.

"We're sorry, Ryuji, we should've thought about our actions. We're so, so, sorry."

The blond was quiet, body shaking as he rubbed his eyes free of tears. He muttered out his response, muffled by Akira's chest. They stayed like that for a few minutes before they walked back to the van. Akira grabbed the forgotten bag before the piled back into the vehicle. Ryuji settled himself between Yusuke and the bespectacled teen. The blond stared down at his hands just as Akira wrapped his arm around his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"Your mom was worried."

"Eff, I know…."

The ride back was full of chatter and warmth; most of the conversations were directed at Ryuji. Once they entered Tokyo, the blond started to fidget with the sleeves of his jacket.

"Ryuji?" Akira whispered.

"Will you come with me… when I get back home? I don't think I can face mom alone…"

"Of course I will."

At the apartment complex, Ryuji's hand hovered above the door before Akira's hand settled on his.

"I'm here."

The blond gently knocked and waited for the sound of approaching footsteps. Ms. Sakamaoto threw open the door and stared into his brown eyes.

"Hey mom…"

"Ryuji…" She whispered and her hands shook as she raised them. "Ryuji, my baby!" She brought her son into a tight hug as tears started to gather in her eyes. "I thought I lost you!"

Ryuji hugged back and his voice shook as he spoke. "I'm sorry, mom, I'm sorry…"

Ms. Sakamoto rocked back and forth with her son, planting kisses all over his forehead. "I'm just glad you're back, honey, don't scare your mother like that."

"I won't… I wasn't thinkin'… I'm sorry…" Ryuji buried his face in her shoulder and started to cry. "M'sorry…"

Her teary eyes moved up to look at Akira, who still stood in the entrance. "Thank you, Kurusu-kun, for bringing him back to me."

Akira smiled softly. "You're welcome. He's important to me too, Ms. Sakamoto."

The mother smiled and went back to hugging the blond. Akira left with a smile and his head held high, he'd come tomorrow and check up on the pair. But for now, he left the family be.


	11. Chapter 11

"I forgot he slept like that." Akira muttered as he opened the door to Ryuji's bedroom.

Said blond slept soundly, the sheets were pooled his legs and falling halfway off the bed. Ryuji clutched his pillow, pulling it close to his body as he snored. The recovering teen wore a pair of brightly colored boxer-briefs and nothing else. Clothes and empty water bottles were scattered everywhere as the teen took in the messy room. A few books of manga sat near the head of the bed and a controller for a game system sat nearby, undisturbed within the mess. Ann and Futaba poked their heads pass Akira's body to peek into the room.

"That's not something I wanted to see!" Ann yelled and fled into the safety of the kitchen.

Futaba, on the other hand, pulled out her phone and took a picture of the sleeping blond. "That's your boyfriend."

"That's my boyfriend." Akira repeated with an affectionate smile. "He looks so cute."

"Stuck in the honeymoon phase forever, Akira." Futaba patted his arm. "I'm going to go help the others with the food."

Akira walked into the room and set his bag down on the floor as the long haired teen left. Yusuke poked his head into the room as the messy haired teen sat at the foot of the bed.

"Are you going to wake him up the same way you did last time?" The artist asked as he stepped into the messy room, somehow managing to avoid the clothes thrown everywhere. "That did not go well for you."

Akira looked over at the taller teen before glancing back over at the snoring blond. His side was still bruised from the unexpected kick of the startled awake Ryuji. Akira slowly crept his fingers towards the pale bare sides and belly.

"Akira, I would advise against that."

"Let me suffer, Yusuke." Akira said his prayers and descended on the unsuspecting blond.

He started to tickle him, attacking the unprotected skin. Ryuji snorted out a laugh and flailed his limps, slamming the heel of his foot right into the bruise on Akira's side. The curly haired teen wheezed and fell off the bed as the blond suddenly sat up; hair an even more wild mess as he looked around quickly with wide eyes.

"Wha-"

"Good Afternoon, Ryuji, it's nice to see you awake. Though, it appears you have wounded Akira once more." Yusuke's gray eyes moved down to where Akira lay, clutching his side.

"Huh?" Ryuji followed his gaze and leapt out of bed "Akira, what the hell, man!"

"Worth it…" He wheezed and groaned; one eye was clenched shut while the other one looked at the blond. "Hey…"

"You effin' idiot!" Ryuji pulled him up off the ground. "Why do you keep doin' this?"

"Because I love your laugh and the pain is worth it…" Akira kissed his cheek. "Put on a pair of pants, lunch is almost ready…"

Ryuji blushed and huffed, turning away from the pair to dig through the clothes on the ground for something decent. Yusuke lead Akira out of the room, picking up the discarded bag along the way. Akira still held his side as he walked into the living room of the apartment. The smell of miso soup filled the area as the ebony haired teen sat at the coffee table. Some anime played mindlessly in the background, but Akira payed it no mind as he watched Futaba stuff onigiri with salted salmon.

"Did Skull score another hit on you, Joker?" The hacker grinned cheekily as she finished the final rice ball.

"I did warn him." Yusuke replied for the former leader got a chance. "He said he wanted to suffer." The artist waited for the bowls in his hands to be filled with the soup.

"Was it in the same spot?" Makoto asked.

"… Yes…" Akira slumped further into the floor with a pout. "I got to hear him laugh, so it was worth it."

Haru gave him a sweet smile. "Oh, Akira-kun."

"That's so gay." Futaba shook her head with a grin. "And so gushy. Anymore talk like that and I'll tell Sojiro."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me~." She teased and stuck out her tongue.

Akira reached over to swat at her, which caused the short teen to move back out of his reach. The teen made a move to get up, only to stop as the shuffling sound of bare feet was heard. Ryuji walked into the room, rubbing his eye and scratching his still bare chest. A pair of loose yellow sweat pants hung around his narrow hips; despite the drawstring being tied in a knot, the pants still sagged. The other teens wished him a good afternoon as he snuggled up to Akira on the floor.

"Still tired?"

"Mmmm." The blond reached over to take one of the rice balls. "Never wake me up like that ever again…" He bit into the onigiri and glared tired daggers at his now smiling boyfriend.

Akira chuckled and placed a kiss on his forehead just as Haru set down the bowls full of miso soup. The former members of the Thieves gathering around the coffee table just as Ryuji dug into his food.

Akira placed the bowl on the table. "Slow down. Remember what happened last time?"

"That was as week ago!" Ryuji swallowed down the rice and broth. "Besides, I can stomach more now." He grinned and Akira swore the whole room light up. "I'm gettin' better and you guys are helpin', thanks!"

"Aw, Ryuji!" Ann reached over and pulled the faux blond into a hug. "That was sweet!"

"You makin' it sound like I can't say anythin' sweet…"

Ann ruffled his hair and he squawked in surprised, moving back to lean against Akira. He stuck is tongue out at her which she shot back in retaliation. The teens conversed with one another until the soup and rice balls were gone. Akira dug through his bag and set the bottle of medicine in front of Ryuji, who shrank back upon seeing it.

"Hell no."

"You have to. Doctor's orders." Akira moved the bottle around for emphasis.

"It tastes like ass!"

"How do you know what ass tastes like?" Fuatab spoke up as she fiddled with her phone.

"Futaba!" Ann and Makoto yelled while Ryuji broke out into laughter.

Akira shook his head and covered his mouth to hide his snickers. Futaba flashed the girls a cheeky smile and returned her attention to her phone.

"But, seriously," Akira popped the top off of the bottle and a strange, indescribable smell arouse from it. "You have to take it."

Chocolate eyes flickered from the bottle to the teen holding the measurement cup and back again. He sunk further away from the strange smelling concoction.

"No…"

"30ml, Ryuji, that's all."

"No…"

"Down it really fast." Ann tried encouraging him.

"Still no."

"How does your mother get you to take it?" Haru asked.

"…That's also an effin' struggle…"

"I'll give you a kiss as a reward." Akira scooted closer to the blond and whispered in his ear. "We'll make out on the couch."

"That's bribery!" Ryuji's face turned beet red.

The teen smirked. "But did it work?"

The blond growls and snatches the cup from him before pouring the medicine into it, grimacing as it came out as bright neon green.

"What the eff… it was purple last time… What does she put in these?"

"You don't want to know."

Ryuji sighed, took a deep breath, and downed the liquid in one shot. He slammed the cup down and immediately reached for a water bottle, downing that with speed what rivaled his track days. The group cheered as Ryuji slumped against the couch, groaning as he sank into the cushion. They stayed for a few hours longer before they all departed, wishing Akira and Ryuji a good night. The blond climbed his way into the curly haired teen's lap once the door had closed.

"Where's my reward? I nearly died drinkin' that shit."

Akira chuckled and settled his hands on the thin waist; he titled his head up and gently pressed his lips against Ryuji's. The blond hummed and kissed back, hands moving to rest themselves on the ebony haired teen's cheeks. They stayed like that, wrapped up into each other's embraces and kissing the night away.


End file.
